From evening gown to dress-up clothes

I found this breaded evening gown at a thrift store for $2. Sparkly! And with huge shoulder pads! Yay 1980s!

I recently discovered Trash to Couture and thought I'd try my hand at refashioning the dress into something for Zari. I liked her 80's beaded blouse to Parisian cocktail dress.

I wanted to preserve as much of the original neckline, beading, and zippers as possible. The beadwork was a pain to work with. We now have thousands of beads littering our attic floor.

I took the sides in, then cut new armholes. Once the bodice was done, I cut the floor-length skirt off at the knees and waist, pieced the two panels together, and attached the new, fuller skirts with gathers. I used the satin skirt lining to make a sash.

Here's the final result:

It's a bit large for her still, but this means she'll get several years of use before she outgrows it. This project was a success, but I think I'll stay away from beading in the future. It's almost impossible to sew over without breaking needles.